medication used in patients with breast cancer - does anyone know of one that induces differentiation? (Jul/02/2008 )

Hi,Just wondering if anyone knows of a medication being used in patients with breast cancer - where the medication induces the cells to stop growing by differentiation?I seem to have hit the wall with this one.There are plent of estrogen inhibitors, and the Her2/ERBB2 drug, and the usual cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs used in patients... and then there are the things which we use in a lab, that are not used for patients. I know there are these differentiation inducers in leukemia, just wondering if anyone knows if there is something similar for breast cancer.

V

-vetticus3-

QUOTE (vetticus3 @ Jul 2 2008, 10:27 PM)

Hi,Just wondering if anyone knows of a medication being used in patients with breast cancer - where the medication induces the cells to stop growing by differentiation?I seem to have hit the wall with this one.There are plent of estrogen inhibitors, and the Her2/ERBB2 drug, and the usual cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs used in patients... and then there are the things which we use in a lab, that are not used for patients. I know there are these differentiation inducers in leukemia, just wondering if anyone knows if there is something similar for breast cancer.

Hi,Just wondering if anyone knows of a medication being used in patients with breast cancer - where the medication induces the cells to stop growing by differentiation?I seem to have hit the wall with this one.There are plent of estrogen inhibitors, and the Her2/ERBB2 drug, and the usual cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs used in patients... and then there are the things which we use in a lab, that are not used for patients. I know there are these differentiation inducers in leukemia, just wondering if anyone knows if there is something similar for breast cancer.

V

I don't know of any differentiating agents currently approved for clinical use in breast cancer patients.

Russo at Fox Chase Cancer Center has shown that the placental hormone hCG protects against breast cancer by causing differentiation of mammary epithelial cells, thereby making them less susceptible to cancer-causing insults. This is apparently one basis for the protective effects of parity. I don't know if this strategy has moved beyond preclinial assessments.

A current agent approved for use in cutaneous T cell lymphoma (vorinostat, Zolinza, previously called SAHA) is the first HDAC inhibitor to be FDA-approved. HDAC inhibitors induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and differentiation. I'm sure there are clinical trials of vorinostat in breast cancer patients.